On the temperature in diseases : a manual of medical thermometry.

  • Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the temperature in diseases : a manual of medical thermometry. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Gerstein Science Information Centre at the University of Toronto, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Gerstein Science Information Centre, University of Toronto.

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    require a largely accumulated experience to enable us to eliniinate the effects of the parotitis from those of the original disease. It can, therefore, only be stated generally that in the various forms of parotitis the temperature behaves itself as follows : There is either no alteration of the previously normal or febrile lcmi)crature (this ha])pcns pretty frequently); or there maybe a moderate elevation of temperature ; Ephemeral rises of temperature may occur, followed by either sudden or protracted downfall; There may be several days' continued fever; Or remittent fever; Or the course of the fever may assume a pycemic form; Or final elevations of temperature to very high degrees ;— Or collapse may occur. XVIL—Meningitis. § I. Many attacks of meningitis occur, which either run their course without any fever at all, or only display irregular elevations of temperature, which are by no means characteristic. Such is the case in chronic and partial forms of inflammation of the meninges. Even the acute and more extensive forms of meningitis do not correspond, one with the other, as regards the course of the tempera- ture ; yet it is possible to lay down certain definite rules, which in- deed are not very precise, nor are they invariable, but still serve for the great majority of cases. In this way there are three special modifications of meningitis, which difi'er as regards the course of their temperature:— {a) Acute sporadic inflammation of the pia mater of the convexity, or upper surface of the brain. {b) The granular (tuberculous) form, which has its seat more especially at the base of the brain, in the fissure of Sylvius, and about the cerebellum. (c) The epidemic form generally attacking the base and the con- vexity simultaneously, and extending itself even to the spinal cord (epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis). As these various forms differ in their aetiology and their special symptoms, so also they exhibit variety in the course of the temperature.